Mapperley Park residents Michael Blood and Malcolm Bescoby’s garden is the best in the UK and won the Daily Mail’s National Garden Competition.
Since buying the Edwardian house in 1978, they have spent almost 40 years planting climbers, begonias and tree ferns to renovate their 20m x 9m garden into an Italianate paradise.
Four decades ago the garden was filled with out-of-control grass and the space was littered with concrete and breeze blocks. But the keen gardeners cleared the area, terraced the steep slope and created two areas which they linked up with terracotta paving. They have used statues, topiary and a summer house – which was built using 18th century reclaimed bricks and topped with a pediment from an old church – to reflect their love of formal Italian gardens.
It has always been one of the favourites in the open garden trail and has beaten some strong competition. Well done to them.
Mapperley Park 